Rope tightener and slack remover

ABSTRACT

The rope tightener is supported by or is engageable with a rope, line, cord or the like before or after it is manually tensioned and thereafter manipulated to draw the rope taut. The rope is stressed by having it located at a fulcrum point about which the device is turned in the plane of the device or in a plane normal thereto to stretch the rope. The device is secured against reverse rotation by placing a reach of the rope under a spaced reverse lock at the end thereof. The device is a compact, rigid element and the one herein illustrated is capable of applying a tension of approximately 175 pounds to the stretched rope.

United States Patent 91 Close Jan. 23, 1973 ROPE TIGHTENER AND SLACKREMOVER [76] Inventor: Robert Howard Close, 3900 Oakhills Drive,Birmingham, Mich. 48010 [22] Filed: April 5, 1971 [21] Appl. No.:130,978

Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilliam Attorney-Harness, Dickey & Pierce [5 7]ABSTRACT The rope tightener is supported by or is engageable with arope, line, cord or the like before or after it is manually tensionedand thereafter manipulated to draw the rope taut. The rope is stressedby having it located at a fulcrum point about which the device is turnedin the plane of the device or in a plane normal thereto to stretch therope. The device is secured against reverse rotation by placing a reachof the rope under a spaced reverse lock at the end thereof. The deviceis a compact, rigid element and the one herein illustrated is capable ofapplying a tension of approximately 175 pounds to the stretched rope.

4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures ROPE TIGHTENER AND SLACK REMOVER BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION Reference may be had to US. Pat. Nos. 1,586,174 and2,338,747 to show the state of the art of rope tighteners over which thepresent device is believed to be patentable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention pertains to a rope tightener andslack remover that has a central body portion which forms a spool onwhich the slack in a rope may be wound. The side edges of the centralbody portion has hooks which extend in opposite directions; and lockingportions are provided at the ends of the body. The body may have anaperture therethrough so that the device can be permanently attached toa rope when extending therethrough. A loop may be tied or otherwiseformed in the rope and engaged over a notched projecting finger on oneof the opposite ends of the device so as to permit the rope to besecured by a hook and tightened when the device is turned in the planethereof with one reach of the rope secured under an extending lockingfinger to prevent reverse turning. The same principal is employed asthat above mentioned when the rope is extended through the aperture inthe body and secured by one of the hooks.

If slack is present in the rope, this may be taken up on the centralspool portion after which a reach of the rope is secured over one of thehooks at one or the other side thereof depending upon which directionthe rope was wound. The turning of the device normal to its plane willplace the device upon one of the rope reaches which is snapped over thelocking finger to secure the device on the rope with the rope drawntaut. The device is molded from plastic, metal or other material as aunit and is reinforced by ribs to strengthen all portions thereof. Aftera tie-down, tent line, guy line or the like has had tension appliedthereto manually, the device is of particular use in drawing the rope orline taut to have it operate more effectively for the purpose for whichit is employed.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of the rope tighteningand slack removing device embodying features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 1 takenon the line 3-3'thereof;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rope tightening device of thisinvention illustrated in FIG. 1 and showing a mode of use utilizing aloop tied in the slack portion of the rope;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rope tightener structure showinganother mode of use which is particularly useful when only a smallamount of slack is to be taken up in the rope;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the rope tightener showing the latterthreaded on the rope and engaged with the rope to remove slacktherefrom; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the rope tightener showing a mode of usethat is adapted primarily for removing a relatively large amount ofslack from the rope.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The rope tightening device 11has a central body portion 12 and side edge portions 13 and 14. Thecentral portion 12 has end notches 15 to function as a spool on whichslack in a secured rope is wound. The side portions 13 and 14 are oflike construction but of opposite hand. Each central side portion of thedevice 11 has a plurality of hooks 16 which face a spaced reverselocking hook 17 disposed at one end and at one side of the body 12 and afinger 18 containing an end notch 19 is disposed at the other side ofthe body opposite the locking hook. Strengthening ribs 21 and 22 areprovided on the locking hooks 17 to reinforce the same and to confinethe rope in locked condition. A central aperture 23 is provided throughthe central portion of the body 12 adjacent one end thereof throughwhich the rope may be threaded for retaining the device thereon so thatit will not be lost when the rope is loosened.

In FIG. 4, the device 11 is illustrated as being applied to a rope 24having a small loop 26 tied therein which is secured in the recess 19 atthe end of a finger 18. One reach 23 of the rope 24 is wrapped around ahook 16 on the same side of the body 12 as the recess, the hook beingjudicially selected to take up the slack on the rope. The device is thenturned in its plane with the loop as a fulcrum to draw the rope 24 tautafter which the other reach 25 of the rope is engaged under the lockinghook 17 at the opposite end of the body as shown.

The rope tightening device 11 is used as shown in FIG. 5 primarily totighten a line that has only a small amount of slack and undercircumstances where the tightener is separate from and not attached tothe line. In this situation, an intermediate relatively slack portion ofthe line is bent around one end of the device 11 in one of the endnotches l5, presumably with the device disposed substantially at rightangles to the length of the line. One reach of the line is then placedaround one of the side hooks 16 which is selected to remove all of theslack from the rope when the device 11 is rotated in the plane of thebody 12 to substantially the position shown in the drawing. Thismaneuver places the hook 16 over which the rope is'engaged in line withthe main length of the rope and with both reaches of the rope extendingalong one side of the body slightly inwardly from the edge thereof andboth under the body 12. It is only necessary then to lift the reachwhich extends away from the notch 15 in which the loop of line isengaged and snap it over the locking end hook 17 at the end of thedevice remote from the notch. When this is accomplished, both reaches ofthe rope will be in line with each other but one reach will extend fromthe body 12 at the underside thereof and the other reach will extendfrom the upper side of the body. The forces imposed on the body by thetautly stretched reach portions of the line are then balanced in such away that they will not tend to rotate or turn the device 11 in a reversedirection or to release the line.

In FIG. 6, a rope 24 is illustrated extending through the aperture 23 ofthe device. After the ends of the rope have been secured and the ropedrawn hand-tight, one reach of the rope is drawn over one of the sidehooks 16 which is selected to remove all slack from the secured underthe locking end hook 17, the device is retained locked on the rope.

In FIG. 7, the device 11 has been used to take up a large amount ofslack from the rope 24. In this mode of use, the rope 24 is doubled backon itself to form a loop, and the loop thus formed is engaged in one ofthe end notches 15, as shown. The slack portion of the rope 24 is thenwound double around the body 12 in the end notches 15 until subsequentlyall of the slack has been removed; One reach 23 of the rope 24 is thenengaged over one of the side hooks 16 with the device disposed athwartthe rope, the hook 16 being selected which will remove all of the slackfrom the rope when the device 11 is rotated in the plane of the body 12to position the latter in line with the rope. As shown, the reach 23extends over the top of the device 11 at one side thereof and it is onlynecessary to snap the other reach 25 over the locking hook l7 at thesame side of the device to secure the device to the rope.

By employing the hooks at both sides of the device, a winding of theslack on the spool portion can be done in either direction since thesides of the device are oppositely disposed facing in oppositedirections. The size of the device will vary in accordance with the sizeof rope which is to be tightened thereby. The one herein illustrated canbe employed for tightening any cord, line or rope up to approximatelyinches in diameter; as a tension of about 175 pounds can be applied tosuch a rope by a device of this size.

As suggested, the rope tightener of this invention can be used for awide variety of purposes and in fact in any situation where it isnecessary or desirable to remove slack from a line or rope. Ropetie-downs, lines and guys that have first been secured by means ofknots, snaps, clamps or other means between two fixed points are typicalexamples of such situations. As more and truckers, on rope guys of allkinds, on luggage tiedowns for car top carriers, on tie-downs of allkinds for boaters and yachtsmen, and to take the slack out of clotheslines. The device is used most frequently to tighten a rope or line thatalready has been drawn hand-tight; however, as suggested, it may be usedalso to remove substantial amounts of loose slack from a line. In thislatter mode of use, as much as 9 feet of slack in a 35-inch rope can betaken up by spooling the loose slack lengthwise around the device, asshown in FIG. 7. It will be readily apparent that, by using two or moretighteners on a line, almost any amount of slack can be taken up.Furthermore, by applying leverage progressively through two or more ofthe hook arrangements available, it is possible to draw the slack andthe stretch out of a complicated tie-down so as to assure a secure tiethat will hold effectively under all normal conditions of use.

I claim:

1. In a rope tightening device, a molded rectangular body having acentral elongated solid spool portion and substantially like edgeportions at the sides, each said edge portions having a plurality ofhooks therealong fro receivinga turn of the rope which is drawn tautwhen the device is turned end for end to produce the winding of therope, and a reverse hook at the end of each side over one of which areach of the taut rope is placed for securing the device thereon.

2. In a rope tightening device as recited in claim 1, wherein the hookson the opposite sides of the body face in opposite directions.

3. In a rope tightening device as recited in claim 2, wherein a fingerhaving a notch in the end extends from the ends at the sides opposite tothe ends having the reverse hook thereon.

4. In a rope tightening device as recited in claim 3, wherein the bodyhas an aperture adjacent to one end of the spool through which the ropeextends for retaining the device permanently thereon and to function asa fulcrum when the device is turned in its plane to draw the rope taut.

1. In a rope tightening device, a molded rectangular body having acentral elongated solid spool portion and substantially like edgeportions at the sides, each said edge portions having a plurality ofhooks therealong fro receiving a turn of the rope which is drawn tautwhen the device is turned end for end to produce the winding of therope, and a reverse hook at the end of each side over one of which areach of the taut rope is placed for securing the device thereon.
 2. Ina rope tightening device as recited in claim 1, wherein the hooks on theopposite sides of the body face in opposite directions.
 3. In a ropetightening device as recited in claim 2, wherein a finger having a notchin the end extends from the ends at the sides opposite to the endshaving the reverse hook thereon.
 4. In a rope tightening device asrecited in claim 3, wherein the body has an aperture adjacent to one endof the spool through which the rope extends for retaining the devicepermanently thereon and to function as a fulcrum when the device isturned in its plane to draw the rope taut.